Spring-switch.



E. N. PROUTY & J. M. AULT.

SPRING SWITCH. J APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1912.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

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B. N. PROUTY & J. M. AULT. SPRING SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1912.

1,084,294. Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

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' UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVJARD N. PROU'IY AND JOHN M. AULT, OF SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13,1914.

Application filed July 15, 1912. Serial No. 709,606.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD N. Pnon'rr and JOHN M. AULT, citizens of the United States, residing at San Rafael, in the county of Marin and State of California, have invented a new and useful Spring-Switch, of which the following is a specification. in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a springswitch for railways and its object is to produce a switch which will be less liable to wear out than is the case with the ordinary spring switches, and which will, for that reason, make derailments less liable to occur.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that at the end of a double track it is necessary to have some kind of a spring switch which will enable trains going in one direction to always take their proper track, while the trains going in the opposite direction can pass through the switch without in terfering with its use by the trains going in the first direction. This result is most commonly effected by the provision of spring switch points, which remain in a fixed position when one train is passing thereover, but which are moved over against the resistance of the spring by the wheels of the train when trains pass in the opposite direction. Since the spring for such a switch must be very heavy, the continual striking of the switch points against the fixed rails soon breaks off the points, or otherwise puts the switch out of service with danger to the trains going in both directions. This danger of breakage is so great that most railroads have a standing order that all trains passing through such switches must not exceed a speed of more than. ten miles per hour.

This invention provides means whereby the switch points will not hang against the adjacent fixed rails at any time, and which will prevent their being moved the full throw thereof each time a wheel passes through the switch, a dash pot holding the spring points so that they will move only one half an inch, or less if desired, in the time it takes for one set of car wheels to reach the switch after another set of wheels of the same or an adjacent car has passed therethrough.

In the drawings in which the same numeral of reference is applied to the same portion throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a railway track showing the spring switch, switch operating stand and dash pot, Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dash pot, Fig. 4- is a transverse sectional view of the dash pot, and Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the spring operating bar between the switch points and the dash pot.

The numeral 1 represents the cylinder 01 the dash pot and 82 represents the switch stand, both of which may be placed upon a suitable base B on long head block ties. The track has the usual ties 29, one straight rail 25, a curved rail 28 and two pivoted switch points 26 and 27 which are connected at their outer ends by means or the shackles 31 and rod 30. The two switch points 26 and 27 may be moved into contact with either one of the rails, but cannot be in contact with both at the same time. The rod 30 passes under the track and is connected with a bar 22 at 23, and this bar 22 is connected at its other end to the end 13 of the piston rod 2. Above the bar 22 there is a bar 19, said bar having its ends secured to the bar 22 at 19 and being far enough away therefrom to permit a spring 21 to be inserted between it and the bar 22. A rod 20 passes through the vertical parts of the bar 19, said rod having a collar 20 thereon and also carrying two loose sleeves 2 1 and 241, said sleeves each having a collar which bears upon the vertical portions of the bar 19. The collars of the sleeves 2 1 and 24 are held in engagement with the bar 19 by means of the spring 21, and said sleeves and spring are held in place on the rod by means of the collar 20 and the nuts 20" at the end of said rod. The other end of the rod 20 is connected by means of a link 38 to a lever arm 33 of the switch stand 32, a lever arm 33 being used to change said switch from one position to the other when necessary. The dash pot cylinder 1 has a piston rod 2 passing through one end thereof, said end 15 and the end 16 being suitably bolted to the cylinder. In practice for the sake of simplicity these two end castings are made precisely the same and one of them is then bored out at the center to receive the packing gland 12 which is held in place by means of the bolts 12'. At the top of the cylinder it is provided with a reservoir 3 which has openings & and r into the cylinder, bolts 5 and 5 being used to regulate the flow of the fluid used therethrough.

The piston 6 is a large ring connected with the piston rods by means of four arched arms 7 an opening through the piston being thus produced which will permit the fiuid to pass therethrough very rapidly when the piston is moved in one direction. The piston rod passes through the ring and carries a washer 10 held in place by means of anut 10 and said washer holds a light spring 9 against the valve 8. The valve 8 bears upon the ring 6 and compels substantially all the fluid moving from one end of the cylinder to the other to pass through the openings 4: and 4 when the piston is moved to the left, Fig. 1. It is therefore possible to regulate the time of travel of the piston so that the switch points will not be closed for sometime after a train has moved them away from the position shown in Fig. 1, thus preventing the points from striking the fixed rails each time a pair of wheels moves them from one side to the other.

The reservoir 3 is covered with a plate 14 which is suitably secured to the top of the cylinder, and this reservoir is for the purpose of supplying the cylinder with a quantity of oil more than is actually necessary to fill it in order to keep a supply of fluid on hand should any fluid leak through the packing glandlQ. The piston is held in place on the piston rod by a tube 2, and w ien it is desired to use the dash pot for the switch working in the reverse direction all that is necessary is to disassemble the piston rod 2, valve, spring, washer and tube 2, reassembling them upon the piston rod in the reverse position from that shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the piston rod will move slowly in the opposite direction. 7

In operation a train leaving the double track will move the switch points to the right, Fig. 1, this movement taking place very quickly and as soon as the wheels have left the switch points, the spring 21 will tend to return the switch points to the position shown in Fig. 1, but this return through the entire distance will take from thirty seconds to a minute so that before the switch points have moved more than one half an inch, or, at the most, an inch the following pair of wheels will return them to their original position with a gentle touch instead of the forcible blow which they receive when moved the entire distance thereof.

It will be understood of course that the switch stand levers hold the switch points resiliently in either the position shown in Fig. 1 or against the other rail, as may be desired, although the switch will operate easily in one direction and hard in the other direction, the spring finally bringing the switch points into contact ith the other rail in the course of thirty seconds or a minute.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

A spring switch dash pot comprising a cylinder having a receptacle upon one side thereof, openings into each end of said cylinder from said receptacle, means to vary the size of said openings, a piston rod extending into said cylinder, a re 'ersible piston ring secured on said rod, a valve surround ing the rod and bearing upon said piston ring, a spring bearing upon said valve, and means to hold said spring in place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 25th day of April A. D. 1912, in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

EDWVARD N. PROUTY. JOHN M. AULT.

Witnesses:

ALBERT N. BOYEN, J. BEEKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

